Father's Day 2010

Percé, Quebec

Between childhood, boyhood,
adolescence
& manhood (maturity) there
should be sharp lines drawn w/
Tests, deaths, feats, rites
stories, songs, & judgments

The Lizard King

On Father's day I want to pay homage to a really great father. I was lucky to have a job as a college professor when Ken was young, so we had some great adventures on long camping trips out West and in Canada. Once he got covered with leeches in a Canadian stream. It was like African Queen on steroids.

He is a father with seven oak leaf clusters. We learned to SCUBA dive together. I was worried about bringing him back when I lost track of him at age 16 on a 110 foot deep night drift dive in the Gulf Stream off Palm Beach and his light stick disappeared , but he turned up like a bad penny and saved me an awkward explanation to Mrs. Phred..

His name is Ken and he is my son, a electric guitar player, master soccer coach, poet and minor genius. He never got into trouble growing up ( I told him what my father taught me: don't get caught).

His favorite joke is "Have you lost some weight?" If you say yes he says, "Turn around, you'll find it." Another of his favorites is "What's green and flies over Russia?" The answer of course, is "Snotzies".

But then I may be remembering more infantile humor before Ken became an attorney and teacher and mature protector of my seven lovely and talented grandchildren.

Unfortunately all my analog pictures of young Ken are in storage back in Tampa. Maybe I'll scan some of those in this winter. Every Dad should be so lucky.